These stories are meant to inspire, but also to teach. So I hope that younger viewers of #FalconAndWinterSoldier are profoundly affected by the comparisons & truths the show explores.

What America What America
thinks it is: actually is:

If this disturbed you, if it disturbed you right now in 2021...good. Reflect on that. This is what we’re dealing with now. The lies don’t just creep out from the fringes of lunacy. They are packaged, sold, & presented looking like heroes. Looking like protectors.

We simply cannot afford to allow ourselves to believe that we’re the exception as a nation. The exception in this world *graced the U.S. with his presence.* America was lucky to have attached itself to a truly pure-of-heart hero.

The fundamental questions need to be:

1. “Why do we fall short of him?”

And 2. How do we synthesize who the man really was with what we need now. And of course we are being shown that the answer is #SamWilson . Steve knew this. *Steve* did. Captain America is not a man.

Captain America exists in the same way Nolan’s Batman did. It’s a symbol that no longer has substance to it. It needs new substance. But to do that, we need to explore & resist the host that would take over the easiest. Same host that ALWAYS wins in America. Our worst impulses.

Whereas #SamWilson is the soldier turned hero who chose to heal the hearts & minds of the traumatized. Who looks out for the little guy. Who was fiercely loyal. Who *understands & lives* the struggle & journey of a Black man in America.

Who feels the contradictions & pain within his place in the militaristic arm of this country. Who listens. Who shows the disenfranchised “radicals” an open heart. Who agreed with the ideals and understands how rigged the systems are.

#SamWilson is what America needs.

So with all that said, the interesting thing about this #JohnWalker murder business is that it’s honestly the most honest thing they could have done. It’s not a shock because it’s a twist. It’s impactful because it’s so distinctly American at this point.

This is an American that took all of the wrong lessons from their *bastardized* idea of what this MAN was, in Steve, and reduced it to a “super soldier.” That two word description alone says it all.

They created the parody of Cap, and then they just got Walker to be the guy to fill the suit. Another damaged guy pushed from tour to tour, taking lives & ruining his own. Literally saying himself that #Bucky doesn’t have time for therapy. The sad irony of that.

And if & when #JohnWalker dies, the government will mourn for about as long as we discuss shootings before they grab a new suit and pick the guy with the next amount of battle accolades.

Unless America FOR ONCE goes against its nature, and does right by whatever soul it has.

And as for #Bucky , he’s the living manifestation of the endgame of war. The Winter Solider identity was the peak of nationalized hatred, hubris & rage. Brute force. He was that, 24/7, for decades. As he heals during this journey, I think it’s a necessary reminder.

It’s a necessary reminder for the characters around him, and for the viewer. Steve left them both in his stead, with one representing going forward and the other representing healing what old wounds we CAN heal. That’s why he NEEDS Steve to be right about them BOTH.

At this point, #BuckyBarnes is the perfect partner for #SamWilson . Not just because they were Steve’s allies, but because Bucky is the unwavering kind of support Sam will need as he ascends. Bucky is a guy who UNDERSTANDS the sick underbelly of warmongering.

Anyway, prepare to raise a glass to CAPTAIN AMERICA & THE WHITE WOLF.

I swear, I’ll cry if the show ends with Sam as Cap painting the white star on Bucky’s vibranium arm. I will *cry.*

Oh man, you want to rip some hearts out and induce the happy tears? Sam debuts his Cap suit and then Bucky calls back to this moment:

Okay, now I’m done. This show is smart. TV is good.